1. Field of the Invention
The inventions described herein relate to tape guides used with tape cartridges. In particular, the inventions described herein relate to roller and guide system adapted to adjust the wrap angle of tape around a tape guide.
2. Background of the Invention
Demand for increased data storage capacity and speed in tape storage systems has driven the development of tape cartridges having very thin tape and high reel speeds. However, decreasing the thickness of tape and increasing reel speed makes guiding tape difficult as the tape moves within the cartridge. In addition, if the edges of the tape strike or drag along parts of the cartridge, then the edges will wear. In turn, the lifetime of the tape is reduced and valuable data may be lost if the tape becomes damaged. Furthermore, impacts between the tape edges and various parts of the tape cartridge may lead to tape motion that is difficult for the head-servo to follow at high reel speeds, thereby leading to read/write errors.
The problems of wear along the edges of tape and read/write errors may be mitigated by the use of flangeless guides described in our application Self-Centering Tape Guide for Transport of Tape Media in a Tape Path with Reduced Contact Between Tape Edge and Guide Flanges, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/027,543, filed Dec. 30, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference. However, methods and devices for further reducing tape edge impact and further reducing tape edge wear would be useful to allow a further decrease in tape thickness and allow higher reel speeds for tape storage systems.